Article on AOL about FP+

[flynnibus]

Yes they did spend billions its been offiically announced the new system cost 2 billion.

Money that also...

• deployed wifi at every park, DTD, hotels, and more...
• updated their websites...
• updated every POS terminal...
• updated hotel door lock on property...
• updated every hotel check-in system...
• linked what were previously separate systems.. ADRs.. Reservations.. Disney profiles.. mobile apps.. and in park experiences
• linked photopass into the system for automatic photo collection/distribution
• built out the wait time system to mobile apps
• built out new mobile apps and all the backend to support them
• undoubtedly overhauled the entire network core to handle tens of thousands of new wifi customers
• new service layers and backends to handle concurrency of tens of thousands of new customers

FP+ is just ONE application in the NextGen portfolio. From crowd management, mobile apps, photopass, integrated profiles, targeted promotion, location services, and more...

Facepalm If you have an app at most you need is a scanner to scan the bar code generated by the app. Guess what bar code scanners are CHEAP. So cheap in fact every other theme park in the rest of the world uses them with out a problem.

They are also limited to line of sight, are completely static, offer no form of encryption, require direct interaction (no passive interaction possible), and completely useless for anything that requires doing things in crowds concurrently or over a distance.

I'm saying its stupid to use RFID technology AT ALL.

RFID tech is outdated this isn't even a question.

Yeah... that's why everyone is graduating from OCR/barcodes to radio..

Yeah, what was the world's largest retailer thinking of when they forced all of their vendors to integrate radio tags when every box and pallet already had barcodes on them! Boy they must be a bunch of idiots to invest in this new fangled 'radio' thing.. especially when everything they already had supported optical!

 

[flynnibus]

I agree with you on this, Disney did not need to use 2 Billions dollars creating this all..
1)They could have cut cost way down if they used existing technology known to work with time saving like simple bar cod scanners for your phone....
2)If they didn't build there infrastructure from the ground up...They could use company's who already have it built. example- Netflix, DropBox, Instagram, Zynga (maker of Farmville) all use Amazons servers to run there software.
3)Yes RFID technology is old but the use of RFID technology is not. That door is just opening, RFID technology with using your phone is going to be used more in life.

1 - doesn't address the actual needs. And the RFID token itself is cheap and disposable.. its not the real cost factor in the system
2 - the hardware itself is not the expensive part of developing new platforms. It's designing and implementing the software for the world's largest single site installation.

You guys are distracted by the flashy light and are missing where the bulk of the effort and cost really are.

 

[John]

Again if you keep insulting me I will report you.

Do it!.....I double dog dare you!....LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

[cspencer96]

You guys are distracted by the flashy light and are missing where the bulk of the effort and cost really are.

PREACH!!!

 

[crazynakedguy]

Money that also...

• deployed wifi at every park, DTD, hotels, and more...
• updated their websites...
• updated every POS terminal...
• updated hotel door lock on property...
• updated every hotel check-in system...
• linked what were previously separate systems.. ADRs.. Reservations.. Disney profiles.. mobile apps.. and in park experiences
• linked photopass into the system for automatic photo collection/distribution
• built out the wait time system to mobile apps
• built out new mobile apps and all the backend to support them
• undoubtedly overhauled the entire network core to handle tens of thousands of new wifi customers
• new service layers and backends to handle concurrency of tens of thousands of new customers

FP+ is just ONE application in the NextGen portfolio. From crowd management, mobile apps, photopass, integrated profiles, targeted promotion, location services, and more...



They are also limited to line of sight, are completely static, offer no form of encryption, require direct interaction (no passive interaction possible), and completely useless for anything that requires doing things in crowds concurrently or over a distance.



Yeah... that's why everyone is graduating from OCR/barcodes to radio..

Yeah, what was the world's largest retailer thinking of when they forced all of their vendors to integrate radio tags when every box and pallet already had barcodes on them! Boy they must be a bunch of idiots to invest in this new fangled 'radio' thing.. especially when everything they already had supported optical!

2 Billion.

Animal Kingdom cost 1 Billion to make

MGM or Hollywood Studios cost 500 million to make

This project costs more then the last 2 theme parks COMBINED

It doesn't add a single ride or improve the existing rides in any way. Meanwhile if you have been to the parks the rides are in desperate need of maintence. Last time I was on Splash Mountain the Laughing Place was still broken, The Great Tree in Animal kingdom is falling apart and they still need to finish the paint job on Test Track.

Wifi in all the hotels doesn't cost even 1 million dollars.

Website updates doesn't even cost 1 million dollars

I'm just going to save you some time here everything you listed there shouldn't cost even close to the amount of buidling 2 new parks.

Nothing in this entire program should add up to 2 billion. Do we need to put this in perspective? World of Warcraft which at its peak had over 11 million players loging in from all around the world, had 2 web apps which interact with the game still only cost 60 million to make and a total of 200 million to maintain over several years.

WoW required a lot more coding and programing then the RFID upgrade at disney.


This is a screw up on the level of New Coke.

 

[flynnibus]

It doesn't add a single ride or improve the existing rides in any way[...].

Ok, your agenda is clear here now. I'm not going to get sucked into your justification argument... there are plenty of other threads you can go on and on in for that topic. But your claims on on what and how are complete bunkus.

 

[ford91exploder]

It's hard to see how Disney spent 2 Billion on this effort, Except if all elements were outsourced and there were not adequate cost controls, Having done really large scale IT projects for quite a while I'm having an issue with this costing much over 500M

 

[crazynakedguy]

Ok, your agenda is clear here now. I'm not going to get sucked into your justification argument... there are plenty of other threads you can go on and on in for that topic. But your claims on on what and how are complete bunkus.

Nice try but no that is just one of the many things wrong with spending 2 billion on a theme park but with out actually building anything.

The truth is you can't refute anything I have said and can't justify spedning 2 billion on a outdated technology.

Like I said everything they wanted to do could have been done for far cheaper and worked far better.

 

[crazynakedguy]

It's hard to see how Disney spent 2 Billion on this effort, Except if all elements were outsourced and there were not adequate cost controls, Having done really large scale IT projects for quite a while I'm having an issue with this costing much over 500M

I know right? Even if they had 0 cost controls I can't see how they managed to sink 2 billion into this project. Of course that is just going by what they said the cost was. If I was a gambling man I would say it probably cost more.

This is like Sochi Olympics level of corruption

Again this cost more then the last 2 parks combined. That right there should be a wake up call.

 

[Magic Sean]

This is like Sochi Olympics level of corruption

Again this cost more then the last 2 parks combined. That right there should be a wake up call.

Hit the nail on the head, I know we all don't want Disney to be that greedy corporation that ends up putting more money in there pockets then there product but lets be real and act like we live in the world today...It happened, Some people at Disney made a lot of money from this. Look around the world, do some research yourself, and don't just believe what the Disney corporation tells you is true.